It's for the woman who sits in the cubicle next to you who finally mustered the courage to report to human resources the boss who can't keep his hands to himself.

It's for everyone who took a stand this year against the sexual assault and harassment that is all too common in our society.

It's for Russi Arden of Southfield, too. The 77-year-old manicurist has endured a lifetime of harassment and unwanted advances.

Russi Arden, 77, of Southfield with her dog, Chewie.

Russi Arden, 77, of Southfield with her dog, Chewie.

Kristen Jordan Shamus/Detroit Free Press

It started when she was just 6 years old, and her dentist fondled her.

"In those days, you didn't wear slacks or jeans. You wore little dresses," she said. "His hand went underneath my dress. His fingers tried to push my panties aside. I had never been warned. I was 6. But I knew instinctively that this was wrong, and I yelled and I said, 'I want to get out of here.'

"He dragged me to the waiting room and told my mother that I was a bad girl, that I wouldn't sit still in the chair. Well, my mother slapped me. And, we got in the car and I remember I was crying and I said, 'He tried to put his hand in my panties.' My mother knew I couldn't make that up. I was 6. So, we just stopped going to him.

"In later years, I asked my mother why she didn't say anything, why she didn't do something about it. And she said, 'Who's going to believe a 6-year-old?' He was a prominent dentist, and she said, 'I wouldn't put you through it.' "

In the past, no one would have believed the 6-year-old who complained about assault by a dentist or doctor, the woman who'd been fired for declining her boss' sexual advances, or, really any person who was weaker or not in a position of power.

No one believed the girls who called out rapists. Rather, those girls were labeled sluts and whores; people whispered that clearly the girls had been asking for it because they wore short skirts or low-cut blouses.

Not anymore.

It took a sea of women, girls, men and boys to come forward and say publicly that it happened to me, too, in order to unmask a problem pervasive in society.

Their stories surged on social media with the hashtag #MeToo, flooding the national conversation and bringing down some of the biggest names in America. People like actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K., broadcaster Matt Lauer and mogul Russell Simmons lost their jobs over accusations of assault and harassment.

Harvey Weinstein attends the "Reservoir Dogs" 25th anniversary screening during the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2017.

Charles Sykes, Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

And while many of the accuser's shared experiences are horrifying, finally having a platform to tell their stories and be believed has buoyed us all — even 77-year-old women living in senior apartments, like Arden.

"I remember every man's name that ever really, ever tried something with me," Arden said. "It just stays with you."

She talked about a teacher who kept her after school when she was 14 to tell her they could "work something out" to bring up her grades.

"I said, 'No, thank you. I'll pass on your pass.' " Arden said the only reason she didn't fail his class was "because he was afraid I was going to say something."

She talked about her rabbi, several of her bosses, and a stranger who followed her home one night from work.

The worst, though, was her account of forcible rape.

Arden's first husband, Allan Cherry, was killed in 1967, when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam, leaving her a widow with three children.

A couple years after his death, she went out on a date with a man she thought was kind and attractive. They'd gone back to her house for coffee afterward; the children were asleep.

"There was a little kissy face, but then I said, 'OK, it's time to go.' Well, he wasn't going to have any of that. I fought him. His hand was like a catcher's mitt. He hit me so hard, my teeth were jiggling in my mouth," she said. "I couldn't scream. I knew my little kids would hear it, and come out of the bedroom. I was violently raped.

"The next day, when I woke up, my eye was swollen shut. My kids got up, and I said, 'It's OK. I fell. I hit my face on the coffee table.' "

He had the audacity to call her a couple weeks later to ask her out again. She declined, noting that he didn't realize he'd done anything wrong when he raped her that night.

"Now, no means no. Then, it didn't. I knew how it was."

Like so many survivors of sexual assault and harassment, many of Arden's perpetrators were people in positions of power, people whose word would be taken over her own. Now, she hopes the tide is turning.

"I just don't want it to be only about the famous people. It has affected ordinary people, too," she said. "It's not just the Harvey Weinsteins and the Bill Cosbys. ... There are millions of us, everyday people that have gone through so much."

Bill Cosby departs Montgomery County Courthouse after a hearing in his sexual assault case in ...more

Bill Cosby departs Montgomery County Courthouse after a hearing in his sexual assault case in Norristown, Pa., on Aug. 22, 2017.

Matt Rourke, AP

Today, let's soak up this moment and acknowledge that the truth has power. We have the chance to change because of these courageous Silence Breakers.

Tomorrow, let's get back to the important work of holding those who commit such acts accountable.

Let's call for justice not just against the attackers, but also their enablers, the people who turned a blind eye while others were mistreated.

Let's make a pledge to refuse to support those who prey on women and girls — whether they are entertainers or businesspeople or elected officials.

And let's make sure our votes count. We can take back power by refusing to vote for candidates who are sexual predators.

It's up to every one of us to ensure that the Year of the Silence Breakers isn't a blink in time, but rather the beginning of lasting change. It's the way we can all be Time's Person of the Year.